Thursday, May 29, 2008 Seares: Bounty hunting By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
BOUNTY hunting is limited to catching for cash a crime suspect or convict or some dangerous animal.
Police and other state law enforcers don't work for bounty. Maybe for a raise or promotion, a medal, or a sweet note in one's 201 file, and some publicity.
Not for extra money. They're already paid, in case anyone forgets.
What kind of work ethic does a government shape if it has to pay more than payroll to make cops or NBI and PDEA agents do their job, which is to solve crimes and collar perps?
And the bounty is not for killing the wanted person.
An offer of cash reward for a scalp or a stiff has never been a Pinoy thing, not in the time of Gloria, who scuttled death penalty, or of presidents preceding her who were bound to uphold laws that required due process before a human being could be legally executed.
"Warning: armed and dangerous" but not "Wanted dead or alive."
Terms
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña apparently knows all that because he frames his offer of P20,000 to P50,000 bounty with these terms: (a) the cop is off-duty and (b) rules of combat are followed.
A police officer is supposed to be on duty all the time. He responds to any call for police service whenever and wherever needed, in or off uniform. Does the term set for the reward change that precept?
When certain conditions are present in a shooting or shootout, the cop is exempt from liability for maiming or killing the suspect. But the reward might make it tough for the cop to justify excessive assault.
The cop would be setting sight on the P50,000 windfall, not on any freaking rule of engagement.
